Recipe
1 4-5 pound pork tenderloin.
1 cup of cilantro tightly packed
1 stalk of green onions
1/4 of a white onion, peeled
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme, stem removed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 habanero pepper
1/2 cup of lemon olive oil or good olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
For the Stuffing:
1 cup of crumbled corn bread
3 slices of bacon, chopped
1 stalk of celery, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons, whole corn kernels
1 teaspoon freshly crushed garlic
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, stem removed
2 tablespoons dried sweet cranberries, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper
For the glaze:
2 tablespoons pepper jelly
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
Directions
For the Stuffing:
Heat a small skillet on the stove. Add the bacon to render the fat. Once the bacon has crispped up, remove the bacon pieces to a small bowl.
To the bacon fat in the skillet, add the onions, peppers, corn, garlic and celery. Saute until the onions are softened, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the thyme and sweet cranberries. Season with salt and black pepper.
After 3 minutes remove from the stove.
In a small bowl add the crumbled corn bread, the cilantro, the bacon pieces and sauteed vegetables. Mix. Set aside to cool.
The Marinade for the Pork Loin:
To a food processor, add the garlic, cilantro, green ionions, white onions, olive oil, habanero pepper, 1/2 the salt and 1/2 the black pepper, the cumin, cayenne and oregano.
Pulse until a smooth paste is formed. It will smell great!
Set aside until you prep the Pork Loin.
Take the Pork Loin, and make a slit down the middle of it lengthwise. Do NOT cut straigh through it. You are only going to cut it enough to open it out to be stuffed.
Once it is open, and laying flat on a surface, sprinkle on the remaning salt and black pepper and rub it.
Pour the marinade over the pork loin and rub it in and all over both the front and the back of the loin really well.
Place the stuffing inside of the cavity of the Loin. Now comes the tricky part.
Now you have to roll the pork loin back together and tie it with butcher string to hold it together.
If you do not know how to tie the pork loin like the fancy shefs do, just cut the string in 5 pieces and tie it around the pork loin.
Wrap the pork loin in seran wrap and place in the fridge for 24 hours.
Make the glaze:
To a small sauce pan on the stove, add the pepper jelly, apple cider and orange juice. Simmer on medium heat until the liquids have reduced and the glaze is slightly thick.
Heat the Oven to 425 degrees.
Remove the Pork an hour prior to baking from the fridge to come to room temperature.
Place the Pork loin on a rack over a baking sheet.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 325 and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a thermomter reads 160 degrees.
Once the thermometer reads 160 degrees, reduce the heat again to 200 degrees, and baste the pork loin, 2 times at 5 minute intervals.
Remove the pork from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Remove the string and slice thinly for serving.
One of the most moist Pork Loins I have ever made.
